Our Team
UJEB Staff
We wouldn’t be able to do the work that we do without our committed and inspiring staff.
Administration
Itzik Sztokman
Executive Principal
Dr Shlomi Hanuka
Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning
Nicole Ellis
Deputy Principal - Operations
Rebecca J. Hoffmann
Marketing Manager
Julian Isaacs
Accounts
Rochelle Kotek
Office & Systems Manager and Bat Mitzvah Coordinator
Shimmy Goldberg
Development and Relationships Manager | Marketing Support
Teaching And Learning – Program Managers & Team Leaders
Bev Brand
Jewish Life Manager
Louise Breuer
Jewish Life Curriculum
Dana Reef
Hebrew Immersion Program Manager, HIP Team Leader (Gardenvale)
Tal Spinrad
Project Kulanu Manager
Sahar Charit
HIP Team Leader (Caulfield South Primary)
Ariel Druckman
HIP Team Leader (Caulfield Junior College)
Orel Cohen Berenson
Hebrew ImmersionHIP Team Leader After School
Vered Harel
Dovrei Ivrit Team Leader
Joseph Folwell
Teen engagement Manager & Camp Coordinator
Sebi Inwentarz
Israel Program Manager BBYO Regional Director, Australasia
Chloe Guss
BBYO Melbourne | Chapter Advisor
Shannon Klass
Bar Mitzvah Coordinator
Board of Management
Our Board provides governance, leadership and guidance to UJEB’s management and staff.
The Board meets once every six weeks as a collective, and at various other times on an as-needs basis. It comprises nine members with a range of skills and expertise from the corporate, finance, governance, not-for-profit, legal, Jewish communal, education and small business sectors.
Simone Zmood
President
Simone has experience working in corporate, government, start-up, education, and not-for-profit realms. She is a parent of four young adults, two of whom participated in a range of UJEB programs including Jewish Life at primary school, the Bat Mitzvah program, UJEB camps, BBYO, and the Israel Trip. Simone recognises the important role that UJEB plays in nurturing a Jewish identify, imparting Jewish knowledge, and helping our young people at non-Jewish schools to connect with our vibrant Jewish community. She is passionate about helping young people actualise their abilities and be all that they can be.
Board Tenure: 1 year
Emily Brott
Vice President, Board Member
Emily provides strategic policy and operational advice to the Department of Justice and Community Safety, and is currently working in the community operations and parole space. Prior to working in government, she was a commercial lawyer. Emily is an avid reader, yoga practitioner and mum of two small children, both of whom will attend UJEB programs when they start school. She strongly believes in the importance of giving every Jewish child the opportunity to cultivate their own Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish community, no matter what school they attend.
Board Tenure: 1 year
Deborah Itzkowic
Secretary, Board Member
Deborah is a lawyer, investigator and mediator, who currently works as a workplace dispute resolution consultant. In addition to 15 years in the legal sector, she has 5 years of experience as a not-for-profit board member. She is passionate about ensuring that Jewish education is accessible, engaging and strengthens Jewish identity. Deborah is a mother of three, with two of her children currently attending the Gardenvale HIP program.
Board Tenure: 4 years
Shane Binstock
Treasurer, Chair – Audit Finance and Risk Committee
Shane is a director at a boutique accounting firm and specialises in tax advice to family groups and private businesses. He leads a busy life at home with four children – two school aged daughters and twin boys. Having attended a public high school and being an active member in Habonim Dror in his youth, Shane understands the importance that Jewish education plays in our community. He is keen to support and provide the infrastructure for UJEB to continue delivering its high quality Jewish education.
Board Tenure: 3 years
Ann Wollner
Board Member
Ann is a mother, grandmother, practising lawyer and child psychologist with particular interests in education, human rights and family violence. She has a long history of general and Jewish community involvement. Ann believes in the beauty and values of Judaism, and is committed to sharing them with our children.
Board Tenure: 5 years
Tzila Katzel
Board Member
Tzila is an experienced business leader, with a focus on sustainability and ESG. She has spent over 15 years in the corporate sector, specifically in extractive industries working with government, First Nations communities and industry peers to improve license to operate for the sector. She is currently an executive at an ASX listed Mining company, where she leads the global/group sustainability and social performance functions. Tzila has three sons who attend UJEB primary school programs. She strongly believes that Jewish Cultural Heritage is a key component to building strong and resilient Jewish communities and this starts with instilling a pride for Jewish tradition and a love for Jewish culture in our children. Tzila believes, all Jewish children should have access to Jewish education, and sees UJEB as an important vehicle to deliver inclusive, good quality Jewish education.
Board Tenure: Less than one year
Jeremy Weinstein
Board Member, Chair – Education Committee
Jeremy is recognised globally as a thought leader and facilitator in helping people think differently about communicating, collaborating and learning. He's collaborated on projects in a range industries, from banking to healthcare to education, and with organisations from Australia’s top 50 ASX listed companies to the local primary school, all of them with communication at the core. He helps communities and organisations find problems worth solving, and helps people work their way through the hurdles of solving them with critical and creative thinking.
He is a trained Engineer, an award winning filmmaker, a Media academic, a UX designer, a healthcare project and relationship manager and a podcaster — showing he can do anything he turns his mind to. Currently, he is focussed on the delivery of improved educational opportunities for young people, through strategies for Government, schools and educators alike.
Board Tenure: Newly Appointed
Leeora Epstein
Board Member
Leeora brings over 15 years corporate leadership experience across Australia and International markets and currently works on driving strategic growth embedded through consumer insight in the consumer goods industry. Raising her two children in her hometown of Melbourne, the elder of which attends the UJEB HIP program, Leeora is passionate in the belief that all children should have access to high quality Jewish education that serves as the foundation for their Jewish identity and place in the world.
Board Tenure: Newly Appointed